How to Make a Tribute For My (Or Really Any) SYOTs
by Annabeth-TheTributeThatLived
Summary: Since I've just started an SYOT for the 227th Hunger Games, I had to update this in remembrance of the Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus that were sent to me in my last story. But it's not their creator's fault. I like to think that they simply didn't know they were doing anything wrong. Come for the advice, stay for the shitty limericks about Alicia.
1. Appearance and Lifestyle

**A/N: This is a guide of some rules to stay within while making a tribute for my (or any) SYOT. The most frustrating thing ever is receiving crappy tributes, because they have things like gills, purple hair or a unicorn horn. Yes, I have received all of these things. This, used alongside ****_An Idiot's Guide To Creating A Mary-Sue, You're Doing It Wrong_**** and ****_The Foolproof SYOT Naming Guide _****pretty much ensures that you will never again make the terrible character that everyone hates. Also Alicia stuff.**

* * *

_There once was a girl from five_

_When she was reaped, she let out a cry_

_This wasn't supposed to happen_

_Her fingers twirled in laps and_

_She accepted the fact that she'd die._

* * *

**Appearance**

_Hair_: Pale blond, blond, dark blond, dirty blond, strawberry blond, light brown, brown, dark brown, black, raven, auburn or red. Curly, straight or wavy. Short, medium or long (no longer than waist length)

_Eyes_: Dark brown, light brown, green, blue, gray, hazel or black. Big, small, round, slanted, long eyelashes, short eyelashes, thick/strong eyebrows, thin/sparse eyebrows.

_Nose_: Big, small, hooked, pointed, button

_Face_: Round, oval, heart-shaped, boxy. Facial hair/no facial hair.

_Height_: 12-14 Y/O Female- 4'8-5'6" (142-167 cm)

12-14 Y/O Male- 5'-5'8" (152-172 cm)

15-18 Y/O Female- 5'5"-5'10" (165-177 cm)

15-18 Y/O Male- 5'8"-6'4" (172-193 cm)

_Build_: Wiry, muscular, thin, curvy, petite, lean, stocky

_Distinguishing features_: Tattoos (Districts 1, 2 and 4 only), piercings (Districts 1, 2 and 4, wealthy families and thieves only), glasses (Districts 1-5 and wealthy families only) scar, eyepatch/glass eye, missing teeth, lazy eye, cross eyed, broken nose

_Style_: Casual, dressy, sporty, sophisticated, comfortable, slutty

* * *

**Lifestyle**

_Family_: Who lives with him/her, or did at one time? Mother, father, brothers, sisters, pets.

_Friends_: Whoever would visit them after the reaping. Close friends, friends they've known for a long time, etc.

_Occupation_: District specific [Factory worker- 1, 3, 5, 6, 8. Miner (18 Y/O only)- 2, 12. Fisherman- 4. Farmer/rancher- 9, 10, 11. Seamstress- 8. Engineer- 6. Lumberjack- 7.], thief, babysitter, clerk, librarian, dish washer, beggar/homeless, prostitute (16+ Y/O females only) trainer/coach, magician/street performer, Peacekeeper (18 Y/O only), hunter/gatherer (tread lightly), student, baker, butcher, apprentice, shopkeep, bartender, student teacher (18 Y/O and wealthy)

**Next chapter will be Personality and Choosing a District.**


	2. Personality and Choosing A District

_Aforementioned girl was brave_

_She rode on the train in a haze_

_Who cares if this rhymes_

_I don't have the time_

_At this rate, I'll be up for days._

* * *

_District One_: District One produces luxury items, and is favored by the Capitol, making it easy for a blind eye to be turned on training. Your tribute from District One most likely volunteered for the pride of winning, or the sport of competing. Since District One is the wealthiest district, your tribute is probably about as privileged as they can get without, in actuality, being a Capitolite. If you have the girl from this district, more often than not, she'd be at one end of the spectrum; not an in between. The girl from District 1 will either be a complete girly-girl, competing to show off (See Sapphirina), or a dedicated, trained contender in the games for the glory of being in the games (See Ruby). The males would be relatively similar, either being a pretentious jerk (See Ambrose) or someone incredibly down to earth (See Jared). The tributes from One are almost always in the Career alliance of 1, 2 and 4. All in all, your tribute from District 1 should be no younger than 16, unless there is a quarter quell that says differently, or they are extremely hated by the district for some reason, and no one volunteered when he/she was reaped.

_Avoid: _Glimmers, Cashmeres and Glosses.

_District Two_: District Two is another one of the Capitol's lapdogs. They are very well trained, and the tributes from the masonry district are almost always a force to be reckoned with. They're more well trained than District 1, but not as wealthy, so the two districts are at a roughly even playing field. The guys from this district are almost always ruthless, confident and arrogant (See Ethan and Mason), but rightly so, with their superior weapon skills and high muscle content. The girls from District 2 are generally confident, with a sort of superior air about them (See Jasmin and Sianna). With both girls and guys, District 2 produces the most evil geniuses. The tributes from Two are almost always in the Career alliance of 1, 2 and 4. All in all, your tribute from District 2 should be no younger than 16, unless there is a quarter quell that says differently, or they are extremely hated by the district for some reason, and no one volunteered when he/she was reaped.

_Avoid: _Cloves and Enobarias.

_District Three: _District Three is assumed to be one of the more wealthy outer districts, as they make all the technology needed to run the Capitol. Tributes from District 3 are usually very intelligent, but not very physically strong (See Elizabeth, Arthur and Techa). There are some cases of orphans, beggars and people that were too poor for school where they may not be as intelligent as the average citizen from District 3, but they're usually, to use Beetee's description, intuitive and intelligent. Males from District Three in SYOTs tend to be in their mid-teens (14-16) while girls are usually younger (12-14). Both tributes from this district are usually weak, scrawny and underfed, and as a general rule, require glasses. There is no real age limit for your tribute from District Three, because there is hardly ever a volunteer. District Three is the most common district to find psychopaths, sociopaths, murderers and rapists.

_Avoid: _Wiresses.

_District Four: _District Four is the third "Career" district, and is generally considered the weakest. Why? I don't know. We would think that they follow the Capitol blindly, as they are a Career district, but in the second rebellion, they were one of the first districts to have an uprising. They are often trained, and if they aren't, they probably use the cliché "Work on the fishing boat with my father and brother" story. In this case, even if they aren't trained, he or she will be good with a trident, as well as being a strong swimmer. District 4 isn't as wealthy as District 1 or as well trained as District 2, but they are still trained and still Careers. The tributes from this district can be any number of things, from a scared, reaped tribute to a confident volunteer (See Star). District 4 is the district that always has either the best tributes (See Aiden, Riley, Tim and Star) or the worst. If your tribute from District 4 volunteers, he or she should be no younger than 16, but it is acceptable for him or her to be reaped.

_Avoid: _Finnicks

_District Five: _Ah, District Five, one of the great unknown Districts of Panem. With only one cannon character, there really isn't much to go off of. This does _not _give you permission to make your character a carbon copy of Foxface. District 5's industry is power, be it electric, solar, nuclear or wind, and the citizens are considered to be almost as intelligent as those from District 3. District 5 citizens in the games are generally very cunning, manipulative and deceitful, or they are sweet and helpful (See Essie and James). However, every story needs the average citizen that doesn't have a tragic back story, so District 5 is the district that usually has the bland characters that don't have much going on with them (See Sam Collins in 7 Days to Live.) There is a lot of leeway with tributes from District 5.

_Avoid: _Foxfaces

_District Six: _District Six is the district that you can get almost the most creative with. With no cannon characters other than Titus and the morphlings, we can assume that the people of this district are pretty fucked up if they produce cannibals and drug addicts. District 6 is really nothing but train conductors and we can assume that like in District 12, citizens don't start work until they're 19, leaving them with no advantage. I have very few points to make about tributes from this district, other than that they are incredibly poor and the average citizen cannot afford to be addicted to morphling. That's just the victors, guys. Also, it's morphling. Morphine is a drug from our time. Also, not every tribute from 6 is going to go batshit crazy and eat the competitors. Not how it works.

_Avoid: _Morphlings, Tituses.

_District Seven:_ Oh, District Seven, home of the whimsical badass Johanna Mason. Yes, Johanna. This does not mean that every tribute from this District is Johanna. District Seven produces the most amount of non-Career volunteers. In some stories, District 7 is seen as a quasi-Career district, in which tributes are let into the career pack with not much hesitation. Tributes from 7 are almost always lumberyard workers and know how to use an ax (See Ivy). However, these tributes can use an ax to cut down a tree, not decapitate someone. I mean, usually. Next to District 3, District Seven has the most tributes that either enter the games insane or leave insane. Your tribute can be reaped, volunteered, any age, or any personality. There's a lot of creative choice here.

_Avoid: _Johannas

_District Eight: _District Eight is widely considered to be the district with the nicest people. However, this is also the district that I've seen the most prostitutes come from. District 8 is the district that produces clothing and textiles, so if your character is average to poor, (s)he is a factory worker, where wealthier tributes would be sons and daughters of seamstresses. Tributes from District 8 are generally underestimated when it comes to physical strength, but you would need to have a good amount of upper body strength to work in factories. So odds are, if your 18 year old boy from District 8 is reaped, he should be able to muster up the strength to hold a sword or an ax. With not many cannon characters, there's not much standing in the way of your creativity in District 8.

_Avoid: _N/A

_District Nine: _District Nine is literally the District that we know the least about. In both the first and second books, both tributes from the grain District were bloodbath tributes, not to mention in Capitol's Picks. Just as most tributes from District 7 can use an ax with some ease, tributes from District 9 will use a sickle without much trouble. Any tribute that works in the wheat fields would be able to use a sickle to cut down wheat, but again, not to decapitate someone. The citizens of District 9 are generally very reserved, closed off people, and they're generally not the first to form alliances (See Felan and Robyn). However where there is a rule, there is an exception (see Robyn). With no cannon characters, District 9 is far and away the district that you can be the most creative with.

_Avoid: _N/A

_District Ten: _District Ten is another District with limited cannon characters. The only ones we know of is the crippled boy from the 74th Hunger Games and Dalton. Obviously, you can't base your tribute off of a middle aged man, but if I receive any tributes from District 10 with any sort of physical deformities, they will not be considered. Just because one nameless character has a crippled foot, it doesn't mean everyone in the district does. Also, District 10 is another case of Districts 7 and 9, meaning that they slaughter cows, pigs and chickens: not people. We can assume that most tributes from District 10 would be able to handle a knife, (See Fenton) given that they use them to kill animals for a living. While District 10 is no match for the Careers, they should, theoretically produce some of the most capable tributes to win from the outer districts.

_Avoid: _N/A

_District Eleven: _District Eleven. I know, I'll make up a happy-go-lucky twelve year old girl that knows a lot about plants and has a flower name. Or would it be better to do a tough and stoic eighteen year old boy that's the size of a small house? Answer: Neither. Far too often, tributes from District Eleven are nothing but clones of Rue and Thresh, and they shouldn't be. An alliance between Districts 11 and 12 is extremely unlikely. Say you're a scrawny, starving kid. You'd want to ally with a stronger person to try and help you make it to the end, not someone just as weak as you to have a pity party with. There are far more creative things you can do with these slots (See Ralix and Amina). I mean, wouldn't District 11 be the place to be for escaped convicts, undercover rebels and Capitolites that were revoked of their privileges? Get creative and have fun with this district. It's always nice to read a District 11 reaping and think "These could not be further from Thresh and Rue."

_Avoid: _Rues, Threshes

_District 12: _The "Avoid" section says it all.

_Avoid: _Katnisses, Peetas, Gales.

**My Most Commonly Submitted Tributes**

District 1 male: Someone who was pressured into the games, mostly by family.  
District 1 female: A girl based loosely off of myself.

District 2 male: A Hunger Games fanatic that's been waiting his whole life for the chance to volunteer.  
District 2 female: A Hunger Games fanatic that's been waiting her whole life for the chance to volunteer.

District 3 male: A smart guy that just wanted to live a quiet life.  
District 3 female: Badass extraordinaire, sometimes certifiably insane.

District 4 male: Someone who just wants to get the games out of the way.  
District 4 female: In a word, feisty.

District 5 male: A somewhat geeky guy that doesn't have trouble making friends.  
District 5 female: As a general rule, I don't submit girls to five unless they're moved there from 3 or 6 because of Alicia.

District 6 male: A stoic guy that just wants to be let alone.  
District 6 female: A girl that has her own problems and doesn't need the Hunger Games to worry about.

District 7 male: A crazy guy that volunteers with a grudge on his District partner.  
District 7 female: A party girl that is, to put it lightly, a skank.

District 8 male: An average guy that doesn't have much faith that he'll win.  
District 8 female: A thoughtful girl that asks a lot of questions.

District 9 male: A sweet guy not designed to win.  
District 9 female: A sweet girl not designed to win.

District 10 male: Even though he was reaped, he's confident he'll come home because of his experience with ranching.  
District 10 female: A friendly girl with a rough history that sees the games as a salvation.

District 11 male: A nice enough guy that sees power in numbers.  
District 11 female: A prostitute who's doing everything she can for her family.

District 12 male: A Seam kid that could probably use his charm to get allies and sponsors if he really tries.  
District 12 female: An optimistic merchant girl that tries not to see society's negatives.

If you ask me to submit a tribute to your story, you'll get one of these. If I submit one out of my own free will, you might not.

**Next chapter will be the difference between a good submission and a bad one, and should be up tomorrow.**


	3. Good Submission vs Bad Submission

**A/N: This chapter, I'll be sharing some of the submissions I got for Capitol's Picks with you: The good and the bad**

**Thank you to Fifidear for the example of a good submission!**

* * *

_When Alicia got to the Capitol_

_She found her and Margaret compatible_

_The two allied themselves_

_With someone else_

_And the three were nondetachable_

* * *

Name (First and Last)- Robyn Kramer **(We're already off to a good start. It's an actual name that's not over used.)**

Age- 14

District- 8

Backup District- 9 or 11 (Aspects of this form would need to be changed obviously if that happened) **(Lenient is good)**

Gender- Female

Volunteer/Reaped?- Reaped

If volunteered, why? If reaped, what was their reaction?- She was very surprised and scared. She would act like most young boys and girls her age if they were reaped.

Personality- She really cares about other people. Sometimes so much she doesn't think about her own needs. She's very sensitive and breaks down easily. She is very good at sticking up for people, just not herself. She's always ahead of her class and on top of things. She's the type of girl who shows off her smile even in the worst of times. She's very convincing too if I may add. She uses her innocence as an advantage. **(Note: It's not just a string of adjectives. It's very detailed, which is helpful.)**

Bio- When Robyn was little she fell out of tree in her backyard. She hit her head on a rock and had to immediately go to the hospital. Doctor's say she's lucky to be alive. And in the beginning, people called her a miracle for surviving because it was so unlikely with the poor healthcare the districts are given, but they soon learned of the consequence and she became less of a miracle and more of a freak. Robyn has short-term memory loss from the incident. Later, when she was ten people and people finally learned about her memory loss, people started to make fun of her. Once her friend, Irene, started getting made fun of, she kind of left Robyn to herself. Otherwise, she lived a basic district eight life. **(Detailed, different and believable. Exactly what we look for in backstories)**

Appearance- Her hair is wavy and brown, but her sister likes to put it into complex braids. She has light blue eyes that look violet when the sun hits them (trying to be realistic as I can, but I have in fact seen people with these eyes). She is slightly tan with a small, fragile build. She is very small for her age about (4'11''). Her lips are thin, cracked and salmon pink. She has a birthmark on her ankle and there is a scar near her hairline from falling out of a tree when she was little and needing to get surgery. **(Again, detailed to help us visualize her, but not over the top.)**

Celebrity look alike- Uh... If I looked like a celebrity at this awkward stage of life I would be thanking the lords haha! But here's a faceclaim. : / / p . gr - assets 540 x 540 / fit / hostedimages / 1379784279 / 455713 . jpg **(Yay faceclaim!)**

Family/Friends- -Her mother, Ebony, is always busy sewing new designs on clothes because like many other women in the district, she is a seamstress. Robyn describes her as very artistic and lovable.  
-Robyn's father, Valintino, works in three different factories just to support his family. He doesn't get to see Robyn to often so this makes her a little upset. The costs from Robyn's big fall greatly impacted the household's savings.  
-Tessa, Robyn's big sister, helps her mother with sewing. Robyn loves her sister very much, and describes her as a best friend- caring, sweet, and friendly. Tessa is 17 and has six tessarae  
-No close friends currently because people think she's odd the way she forgets things, but she used to have a friend named Irene. She's average height for a 13 year-old and has muddy brown eyes. She has mocha skin with wavy black hair. **(So many people just give a list of names, but here, we have names, ages, relationships and appearances.)**

Romance?- No thank you

Token-Necklace with a silver robin on it. Her father gave it to her mother after they were married. They named Robyn after the necklace and gave it to her as her first birthday gift. **(Backstory with the token)**

Reaping outfit- A blue dress starting to fade into a white color as it moves further down to the ground. It's fluffed up at the skirt. Her mother made her the dress a long time ago as she is a seamstress. **(Detail)**

Interview outfit- A lavender, sweetheart neckline dress that reaches to her knees. There are thousands of silver beads that make up a small bird (you would assume a robin) on the lower right side in the middle of her torso (where the dress bodice would meet the skirt). The lavendar brings out her eyes and she also wears her robin necklace with silver rings all along her fingers. She also has her hair straightened. **(Again, detail)**

Weapon(s) of choice- If we are talking weapons- Slingshots, knives, or daggers. She didn't know how to use these before the games, but she practiced it in training and even if she's not a star knife thrower, it will at least offer protection if tributes get near her. But most likely her best weapon would be her strengths below. (Hiding, running, climbing, etc.) **(So many people would just list one weapon and be done with it, but here, we have options and reasoning)**

Strengths-  
1\. She can fit into small spaces  
2\. She's a real quick thinker  
3\. She's good at climbing trees, but only if she needs to  
4\. She's good at convincing people to do what she wants too, so lots of alliances.

Equal number of weaknesses-  
1\. Obviously her memory loss  
2\. Not experienced with weaponry  
3\. Can't swim  
4\. Clumsy  
5\. Lots of fears that will be hard to overcome **(More weaknesses than strengths is good, because it shows the character isn't perfect. Plus, all the strengths and weaknesses are relevant.)**

Training score: Personally I think the author should decide this, but my rating would be a 5 or 6

Interview angle- Cute, bubbly, innocent

Strategy in the arena- I'm submitting my character knowing she probably won't win, but if she makes it farther than the cornucopia, she will stick it out by herself hiding watching others. Until she finds a trustworthy alliance. If she makes it farther than like final eight, then she'll leave her ally in the night. She probably won't eat meat, but stuff she may have got in the cornucopia or if there are edibles around the arena (plants,etc.). Right before she goes into the arena she has to be reminded of what's about to happen. Regardless of how you kill her, I think it would be cool to have her memory loss as a huge disadvantage in the games because it's such a big part in the games. **(Detailed, with the knowledge that the 14 year old girl probably wouldn't win.)**

Allies?- Anyone trustworthy and willing

What does he/she do in the bloodbath?- She runs for the closet things and then sprints away from the cornucopia

Does he/she survive the bloodbath?- Up to you. Sounds like you need them and It would be better to have more so go ahead and kill her if you really need the cannons **(Giving permission)**

Preferred death?- See end of stategy

Other- nothing really. PM me if you need anything

Tribute Form

Name (First and Last)- Amphitrite Odair (She's Finnicks older sister) **(Okay, true, we didn't really get anything about Finnick having a sister, but my main problem with this is that the story takes place roughly 160 years after Finnick won his games, and she's only 17.)**

Age- 17

District- 4

Backup District- She has to be from 4 because shes Finnicks sister **(Grammar)**

Gender- Female

Volunteer/Reaped?- Volunteer

If volunteered, why? If reaped, what was their reaction?- She volunteered to save her 12 year old sister who was reaped **(So now Finnick has 2 sisters? And that doesn't sound like Katniss at all...)**

Personality- Amphitrite is selfless and selfish at the same time. She always does whats best for her, but she puts others before herself **(You are contradicting yourself, and gave me almost nothing to work with.)**

Bio- Amphitrite has had a perfect life until her brother died which rendered her depressed only shes still really confident. She also has low self esteem b/c she was born with gills behing her ears but her hair is long and hides them so they don't bother her **(Okay, so she's depressed but confident, and has low self esteem, but not really. Seems legit, I'm intrigued. Also, biological impossibilities are possible now, so let's just assume that she was born with gills. Like all District 4 citizens.)**

Appearance- Shes really pretty. She has long straight blonde hair that goes to her knees and she has a natural purple streak in her hair the same color as her eyes. She's 5'7" and thin but she has big boobs. She also was born with gills **(Nothing about a purple hair streak or purple eyes are natural. And I feel like hair down to her knees would be in the way more than anything. Is that attractive?)**

Celebrity look alike- Like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift **(Let me just wait for Taylor Swift to get Ariana Grande pregnant.)**

Family/Friends- Amphitrite's parents died in a shpwreck before she was born and shes an only child. She doesn't have friends b/c people are intimidated by her beauty **(Okay, sorry about your parents, but how did they die before you were born? And I what happened to her two younger siblings, Finnick and what's her face who she volunteered for? How were they born if her parents were dead? There was nothing in the bio about adoption.)**

Romance?- She's in a relationship but she can have one in the capitol but not the games **(*Cough* Slut)**

Token- A necklace with a mini dagger dipped in poison on it **(Because the Gamemakers cleared that.)**

Reaping outfit- A green mini dress with blck sandals and her hair is in a high pony tail to show off her gills **(You mean the gills she was self conscious about?)**

Interview outfit- A green mini dress with blck sandals and her hair is in a high pony tail to show off her gills **(You clearly copied and pasted this. There's even the same typo.)**

Weapon(s) of choice- Trident, spear, sword and bow

Strengths-

1) Trident  
2) Spear  
3) Sword  
4) Bow  
5) Swimming  
6) Climbing  
7) Running  
8) Acting  
9) Finding food  
10) Using her looks  
11) Manipulating people  
12) She can breath under water  
13) She will kill without hestating

Equal number of weaknesses-

1) Throwing knives  
2) Cooking **(13 strengths, 2 weaknesses, one of which isn't even relevant.)**

Training score: 12 (I can only assume she slept with the Head Gamemaker.) **(The Head Gamemaker is a straight woman.)**

Interview angle- Sexy but wholesome

Strategy in the arena- Stay submerged in water the whole time b/c she can breath there and just wait for people to pass

Allies?- Careers

What does he/she do in the bloodbath?- Kill a bunch of people. Like, 5 at least **(Only 6 people even died in the bloodbath)**

Does he/she survive the bloodbath?- Yes

Preferred death?- I'd prefer she doesn't die

Other- I hope she doesn;t seem like to much of a Mary-Sue to you. Let me know if you have questions **(Oh, I've got some questions.)**

**Next chapter will be creating a backstory and acceptable reasons to volunteer.**


	4. Backstories and Volunteering

_Other alliances wanted Alicia _

_Aiden came up and said "Nice to meet ya_

_I'm here with my allies_

_If you don't join us, you'll die_

_Say yes, or we'll give you amnesia."_

**Creating a Backstory**

DO- Give him/her an interesting family.

DON'T- Make him/her the oldest of several siblings and/or in an extremely dysfunctional family.

DO- Give him/her an age appropriate job.

DON'T- Make up a job just to give his/her family more money.

DO- Have friends, or people that care about him/her.

DON'T- Make him/her the most liked person in the district.

DO: Give him or her a set of morals.

DON'T: Make him or her a selfless person that can do no wrong.

DO: Fill out a detailed form.

DON'T: Write an essay for each blank.

DO: Give outer district tributes some sort of skill, using their past to their advantage.

DON'T: Be unrealistic. No hunting, no fighting in the streets, etc.

DO: Have secrets.

DON'T: Make the entire backstory and personality revolve around said secrets.

**Adequate Reasons to Volunteer**

-Glory: If your character is a trained career tribute, he or she most likely volunteered for the glory of the games.

-Fame: Along with the fame that comes with it.

-Money: If your tribute is very poor, he or she could have volunteered to win the house and money.

-Protection: If your tribute is a convict or an escaped felon, winning the games will give them immunity.

-Impulsivity: If your tribute is thinking about what would happen if he or she volunteered, he or she will probably suddenly really want to.

-Blackmail: If someone told you "Volunteer for the games, or I'll kill you and your family," what would you do?

-Suicidal: What better place to go out with a bang than right before the bloodbath.

-Capability: If a tribute knows they can win, they will volunteer.

-Revenge: If a tribute of the opposite gender is reaped and your character wants to make sure he or she dies.

**Inadequate Reasons to Volunteer**

-To protect a sibling

-To protect a cousin

-To protect a niece/nephew

-To protect a sibling

-To protect a random 12-14 year old

Here is the problem with people volunteering for younger family members: Katniss volunteered for Prim, because, to Katniss, Prim was less of a sister and more of a daughter. Volunteering for a death match is not something siblings would do for each other, but it damn well is what a mother would do for her daughter or what a father would do for his son.

**Next chapter will be filling out a tribute form.**


	5. Filling Out a Tribute Form

_At this point, Leesh was confused_

_She didn't know what to do_

_She said "Sorry, I'll pass."_

_And ran off real fast_

_Meanwhile, Sam had to poo_

* * *

**Thanks to Jms2 for letting me use his form.**

**Name: **For your tribute's name, go with something that does have to do with his/her district, but not overly so. Like Amphitrite for the girl from 4 was a bit much, but Michelle could work.

**Gender: **

**Age: **Make it relevant, and make it make sense. Stay between 12 and 18, no 19th birthdays in the arena, no secret 20-somethings volunteering for their younger siblings.

**District: **District has a lot to do with your tribute's personality. Much of Panem's strongest people are in Districts 1, 2, 4 and 7, the smartest people are in Districts 3 and 5, the poorest are in Districts 11 and 12, etc.

**Backup District: **Just make it make sense. I'll touch more in the next chapter.

**Height: **4'10"-6'6". Anything else is a biological improbability for people of this age.

**Appearance: **I can't believe I have to say this, but no Technicolor hair or eyes, no fairy wings, no unicorn horns, no gills, no unnaturally long hair, no extra limbs, no missing limbs (naturally. A guy from District 4 that got his arm bitten off by a shark could make for a fun character). Basically, nothing you haven't seen in actual life that didn't involve hair dye or colored contacts.

**Celebrity look alike: **If it's here, answer it. It's probably here to either make a blog or help the writer imagine your character.

**Personality: **Again, make it match the District. Use common sense.

**Bio: **Match. The. District. No starving, homeless, broke (I didn't to that on purpose, please don't shoot me, I hate Justin Bieber), orphaned 12 year olds are going to be reaped from District 1, and if one is, someone will quickly volunteer. Your tribute from 11 or 12 is not trained with a Katana, and I highly doubt anyone from anywhere but District 4 knows how to swim, unless training academies from 1 and 2 provided lessons.

**Reaping outfit: **

**Reaped/Volunteer:** Careers aren't reaped.

**If volunteer, why? If reaped, how they dealt with it?: **See the last chapter for reasons to volunteer. As for being reaped, I'm really sick of seeing "So-and-so was terrified, but put on a brave face and walked calmly/confidently to the stage."

**Friends/Family: **Be detailed. A list of names is not detailed.

**Romance?: **Tread lightly.

**Token: **Tread lightly.

**Interview outfit: **Tread lightly.

**Interview angle: **While you are supposed to have an angle, there has to be someone that has stage fright or social anxiety and just can't do it.

**Weapon(s) of choice: **Think rationally. If your tribute is from District 7, he or she can probably use an ax. If they're from 9, they can probably use a sickle. District 10 kids should be able to use a knife. People from 4 should be able to use a trident in a pinch, but if they're trained, they should have something else they're good at.

**What they show the Gamemakers: **Weapon/Survival skills

**Training score: **See my guide

**Strategy in the arena: **

**Allies?: **Don't give slots, because you don't know what their creator has in mind. Don't say that you want your girl from 6 to ally with the boy from 8 and the girl from 9, because you don't know if the boy from 8 and the girl from 9 want allies.

**What does he/she do at the Bloodbath:**

**Does he/she survive the Bloodbath?: **Strictly suggestion

**Preferred death?: **Strictly suggestion

**Other: **Anything you feel was missed.

**Next chapter will be choosing a backup District.**

Prev 1. Appearance and Lifestyle 2. Personality and Choosing A District 3. Good Submission vs Bad Submission 4. Backstories and Volunteering 5. Filling Out a Tribute Form


	6. How to Know What Kind of Tribute to Make

_The boy from Four swore his revenge_

_His honor, he would try to avenge_

_He made his light_

_And put up a fight_

_If the Careers forgive him depends_

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**A/N: Well isn't this festive? For those of you that don't know, I just opened my new SYOT! So when you're done reading this, you should go submit a character or two if you haven't already.**

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**Think of this like a table. On the left is the District you put your character in. On the right is when the author says "Sorry, that spot is filled. What's your backup District?"**

District 1: District 2 or 4. If your character is a typical Career, District 2 is recommended. If they're a ditzy, prissy District 1 girl, District 4 is recommended.

District 2: District 1 or 4. Either will work, as they're all capable of holding Careers.

District 3: District 5. Both are said to be incredibly intelligent as a whole.

District 4: District 1 or 2. You know. The Career thing.

District 5: District 3.

District 6: District 8. Both depend heavily on manufactured goods as their income, and the backstory wouldn't have to be altered too much in this case.

District 7: District 9. Both use heavy bladed tools that could be used as weapons for their jobs (ax vs sickle).

District 8: District 6 or 12. District 6 is explained above. District 12 works as well, because they're both incredibly poor, back-alley areas.

District 9: District 7.

District 10: District 11. They're geographically close and both work in a farm type environment. The only difference is that District 10 is animal based and District 11 is plant based.

District 11: District 10.

District 12: District 8.

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**This is a bonus section! These are the steps you should take if you want to submit more than one tribute to a story.**

First tribute: Do whatever you want! It's your first tribute.

Second tribute: Conflict with your first tribute. For example, if your first tribute was an older girl, make a younger guy. If your first tribute was a cocky Career, maybe your second tribute could be a shy outer-district kid. Say your first tribute was made to win, you should make your second tribute a bloodbath.

Third tribute: If you haven't done so already, make a bloodbath. Seriously. It's hard watching your creations die, but odds are, they're going to anyway, so you might as well help out the author.

Fourth tribute: Have fun here. Maybe make a psychopath, or a mean girl or a murderer. The sky's the limit.

This of course is just an example. This is what I generally do.

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**Remember to submit to my SYOT if you have the chance!**


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